diff --git a/ReleaseNotes/release_notes.md b/ReleaseNotes/release_notes.md
index 5393e905..d648a655 100644
--- a/ReleaseNotes/release_notes.md
+++ b/ReleaseNotes/release_notes.md
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
    1. add possibility to add separator line to `summary_graphs`
    1. fix for new ROOT>6.31 few issues with std::string <--> const char*
    1.  imporve a bit BLUE
+   1. add "fix" for new pyROOT/cppyy for failure with ickling of enums
    
 ## Backward incompatible
 
diff --git a/ostap/tools/chopping.py b/ostap/tools/chopping.py
index cb5e530e..a8b1bbab 100644
--- a/ostap/tools/chopping.py
+++ b/ostap/tools/chopping.py
@@ -582,6 +582,17 @@ def __init__ ( self                              ,
         from ostap.trees.trees import Chain
         if isinstance ( self.__signal     , ROOT.TTree ) :  self.__signal     = Chain ( self.__signal     ) 
         if isinstance ( self.__background , ROOT.TTree ) :  self.__background = Chain ( self.__background ) 
+
+        ##  trick to pleas Kisa for ROTO 6.31/01  (enum TMVA.Types.ETMVA is not pickable...
+        if ( 6, 31 ) <= root_info :
+            ms = list ( self.__methods )
+            for i, e in enumerate  ( ms ) :
+                e = list ( e )
+                e = tuple ( [ int ( e[0] ) ] + e[1:]) 
+                ms [ i ] = e
+            self.__methods = ms
+            
+            
         
         ## book the trainers 
         self.__trainers      = () 
diff --git a/ostap/tools/tests/test_tools_chopping.py b/ostap/tools/tests/test_tools_chopping.py
index 70bda0c8..ee26c6a6 100755
--- a/ostap/tools/tests/test_tools_chopping.py
+++ b/ostap/tools/tests/test_tools_chopping.py
@@ -171,6 +171,7 @@
     ## parallel_conf  = { 'ncpus' : 0 , 'ppservers' : 'auto' }
     )
 
+
 # train it!  
 with timing ( 'for TMVA/Chopping training' , logger ) :
     trainer.train () 
@@ -344,7 +345,7 @@
 table = T.table ( rows , title = title , prefix = '# ' , alignment = 'cc' )
 logger.info ( '%s\n%s' % ( title , table ) ) 
 
-
+    
                           
 # =============================================================================
 ##                                                                      The END
diff --git a/ostap/tools/tmva.py b/ostap/tools/tmva.py
index 7fdf68fe..d9c1aa62 100755
--- a/ostap/tools/tmva.py
+++ b/ostap/tools/tmva.py
@@ -373,6 +373,13 @@ def __init__(  self                           ,
             if isinstance ( logging , string_types ) : self.__logging = logging 
             else                                     : self.__logging = "%s.log" % self.name
 
+
+        
+        for i , e in enumerate ( methods ) :
+            t = e [ 0 ] 
+            assert ROOT.TMVA.Types.kVariable <= t < ROOT.TMVA.Types.kMaxMethod, \
+                   'Invalid TMVA.Types.EMVA %s' % t 
+                  
         self.__methods           = tuple ( methods    )
         
         variables                = list  ( variables  )